The Bruise
by Fanficer21
Summary: After the events at CADMUS, no one realized just how bad a super step to the chest could be. Well, no one except a pissed off Daddybats and his baby bird. From the episodes "Independence Day" and "Fireworks". *Rated T to be safe.


**Disclaimer:** The only thing I own about Young Justice is my own made up crap! XD

Here is yet another one of my ADHD moment stories. I watched Young Justice again and decided that Robin's little run-in with Superboy's foot needed more recognition. Because I thought...oooh! That's gotta hurt!

**Note 1:** Some parts of this fanfic are from the episodes **"Independence Day"** and "**Firworks"**. They rest is what I would have liked to see.

**Note 2:** I would like to give a thankful 'shout out' to my patient readers with **"The Changing of a Heart"**. I am still coming up with ideas for what to write in chapter 12. I'm open to suggestions if anyone would like to add their input. XD

Anyway, enjoy the show!

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**The Bruise**  
**By. Fanficer 21**  
**CHapter 1**

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The cloud of dust settled around the now fallen lab revealing the piles of rubble. Groaning was heard as a large chunck of concrete was pushed upwards by super boy. Beneath him were the three sidekicks laying on the ground. Aqualad's body half rested on Robins smaller one protecting the boy from harm. Superboy had done the same to Kid Flash. Kid Flash popped up first followed by Aqualad. However, Robin stayed where he was, curled in on himself for a few minutes before slowly getting up. His hands rested on his knees.

"You ok there Rob!" Kid Flash asked. He was concerned for his best friend, especially after everything they went through that night. Robin nodded slightly before taking a deep breath and standing up all the way doing his best to remain calm, even though his chest hurt really bad. He knew it was becuase his adrenaline was wearing off, so the pain from getting stepped on, thrown into pillars, and almost getting crushed by the building were coming back all at once.

"Fine KF, just out of breath." He breathed deeply again, this time making the boy flinch slightly. KF looked at his friend warily, before zipping to his side. "Maybe you should sit down for a bit" he suggested as he grabbed Robin's shoulders and gently pushed him down to sit on a large piece of rubble before sitting next to him.

Aqualad stood a few feet away with Superboy looking at the once Dr. Desmond, though he spared a few glances at Robin.

"You see! The Moon!" KF said to Superboy before standing up and pointing at the moon. Every eye turned to look at the brilliant white circle. Superboy's features showed curiosity, relief, and amazement all at the same time. He was confused though when he saw a small figure fly towards them in the center of the Moon.

"And Superman" KF stood next to Superboy who watched the blue boyscout descend towards the fallen lab. Following him were the rest of the Justice League. And boy did they look angry. Having no desire to get up and pester his aching chest, Robin stayed put on his piece of rubble.

Superboy took a step forward with a look of pride on his face as he showed his torn symbol to Superman. However, Superman's expression was one of shock and disappointment causing Superboy to become confused. He stood in front of Superman. Batman came to stand beside the man, while KF stood beside Superboy.

"I'm Superman's clone!" He said causing the Leaguers to share confused glances with one another. Batman glared at said clone before demanding an explanation.

"Start talking!" he growled in his dark voice. His eyes seemed to burn into the clone's soul. KF was the first to begin the story of their escapades. Aqualad soon came to add his input. However, Batman only half listened to the account, his mind was more important places like looking for his son. His eyes found the boy sitting on a slab of cement. He was leaning back against another slab with his head back. The white slits on the domino mask were closed signifying that the boy had shut his eyes. He was so still that only the slow rise and fall of his chest proved he was still alive. Batman narrowed his eyes slightly. His mind wandered to several different reasons for his little bird's behavior.

"...and then you guys showed up!" Kid Flash ended the account as both Green Lanterns, Hawkman, Hawkwoman, and Captain Atom took the once Dr. Desmond away. Meanwhile the rest of the leaguers and sidekicks remained on the ground. The two groups separated as they talked amongst themselves. The leaguers were on one side of the destroyed building where they discussed and argued what to do with the kids, especially Superboy. Batman kept sparing glances towards his partner while he discussed matters with the others. He wanted this meeting to end so he could check on his bird.

The kids, not sure what to do, were standing next to Robin who appeared to be asleep, but he just sat there focusing on the breathing techniques Batman taught him so he didn't add unnecessary pain to his chest. His jaw was clenched and his hands were balled into fists beside him on the rock to try ease his suffering. Who knew getting stepped on could hurt so much. Hearing footsteps, Robin opened his eyes tiredly to see Superman say something to Superboy before taking off. He quickly shut them again, only to reopen them when more sets of feet made their way over. He saw Batman followed by Aquaman and Flash. Robin was on the verge of exhaustion because he could barely understand what his mentor was saying. He saw his dad look at him with an expressionless face, but he knew the man was concerned. A small smile graced Robin's lips. He blinked his eyes several times to focus a little, when he heard Aqualad speak.

"Sorry, but we will!" Aquaman looked ticked as he demanded his protege to stand down. Aqualad's response made Robin smirk. "Apologies my King, but no!" Aquaman looked really angry at this point. "We did good work here tonight. The work you trained us to do. On our own we forged something powerful. Important." the boy continued to say.

"If this is about your treatment at the hall, the 3 of y-" Flash was cut off by Kid Flash's "The 4 of us!"

Robin figured he should say something too, so he sat up with a grimace on his face before looking at his mentor. "Batman. We're ready. To use what. You taught us. Or why...why" He said between pants before cutting himself off to catch his breath again. This concerned the Bat even more. Said man walked up to his partner and knelt down before placing hand on his shoulder making it rise up and down with the motion of Robin's body.

"Robin!" Batman shook his son's shoulder gently when the boy's eyes closed. "Yeah, dad...?" Robin whispered after a few minutes of silence. He was so tired and just wanted to sleep. Aquaman and Flash were concerned now too. Robin was always so active and witty. They had never seen him so sluggish.

Not caring what anyone had to say, Batman pushed a button on his belt to summon the Batmobile. Then leaning down, he carefully scooped the boy's body into his arms and situated him so Robin's head rested against his large chest. The boy's legs as well as his arms hung limply as the Dark Knight held him protectively in his strong arms. The boy's breathing was quickening and he whimpered under his breath.

"Where does it hurt?" the man whispered softly in a voice reserved only for his precious little bird.

"ch-chesss" Robin slurred before closing his eyes. Batman narrowed his eyes for a third time before growling "I'm taking him home!" Everyone nodded. No one wanted to cross the Bat. Not two minutes later, a loud humming could be heard entering the vicinity. Suddenly a large black, totally awesome, car flew around the corner and skidded to a halt just outside of the destroyed building. Batman softly walked towards his trusty car as to not wake the now slumbering boy. Everyone watched silently, taking in the sight of the Daddybats.

Before he reached the car, a flash of yellow flew past before Kid Flash opened the door for him. Under different circumstances, anyone who touched the Batmobile would suffer a fate worse than death. However, the vigilante just nodded to his son's best friend before placing the child in the passenger seat and gently buckling him in. Robin's head lulled to one side as the Dark Knight exited the car again.

"Is he going to be ok?" KF asked, looking at the man before shutting the door. Batman looked at him without expression. "You'll be the first to know. He'll make sure of that" the man pointed his thumb at Robin with a smirk on his face. He then made his way to the other side of the Batmobile and got in before taking off towards the Batcave.

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The Batmobile entered the dark cave before coming to a halt on the turn-table platform. Bats flitted about and squeaked when they were shined with the bright headlights. Batman sighed as he looked at the boy. His head lulled to the side. His breathing remained the same, which pleased Batman. It meant that whatever it was wasn't too serious. For that, he was glad.

Batman slowly opened his door and stepped out of the car before shutting it. He then made his way to the other side. Opening the door and unbuckling Robin, Batman gently shook his shoulder again to wake him up.

"Robin" he said quietly, pulling his cowl down, becoming Bruce Wayne. His response was a soft mumble as Robin shifted in the seat. The man smiled as he lightly grabbed the edge of Robin's mask. He gently pulled it away from the boy's face revealing half-opened baby blue eyes enough to see a blurry Bruce. He smiled before stretching his arms causing him to squeeze his eyes shut and curl in on himself as a small yelp escaped his lips. He forgot he was hurt, waking up from his sleep he'd hoped it was just a dream. He suddenly felt strong arms encircle him before he was pulled out of the car. Bruce quickly made his way to the med-lab and sat Dick on the examining table where he silently removed the boy's battered cape and utility belt. He dropped them in a nearby chair.

Bruce then gently laid him flat on the table, he moved Robin's arms from their protective position on his chest to his sides where they rested on the cold table. Then he began unclasping the boy's Kevlar tunic. Bruce could see slight bruising on his son's chest while he slowly worked his way down. But as soon as Bruce reached Dick's mid-chest the boy let out a pained yelp. He curled up into a ball on his side and brought his arms to cover his chest once again. Tears fell from his eyes while they were squeezed shut and his breathing increased dramitically. Bruce stood there staring at the boy. To say he was shocked, was an understatement. He'd never seen his boy act this way before, not even with injuries from Joker or Two Face. Clenching his teeth he Stomped to the door of the med bay.

"ALFRED!" He roared before going back to his son. He cupped Dick's face in his hands and looked the boy in the eyes. Glossy baby blue eyes that were now soaked with tears and full of agony looked back. Large fingers worked their way into ebony locks as Bruce gave his son a head massage to try and relax him. A pair of feet were heard running down the stairs from the mansion above, letting out a deep breath he looked up to see Alfred in the door way looking at the boy in his hold.

"Oh my! What happened Master Bruce!" Said butler inched his way in the room as if he was afraid to scare the boy.

"I...don't know! He said his chest hurts, and I saw some light bruising. Suddenly he was like this." Bruce motioned down towards the boy on the table with his head as Alfred made his way over.

"How can I be of help?" The butler asked when he stood beside the dark knight. His eyes fell upon the boy's face who's eyes were closed tightly again. "Get his tunic off, gently...please, Alfred." The man responded as he released his hold on the boy's head. He then gently grabbed his son's wrists and pulled his arms away from his chest again. Dick shook his head, pleading for them not to continue. Bruce shushed him gently before he made his way around to the head of the table. He looked down at his son, his small wrists still in his grasp, but this time they were resting on the table beside the boy's head. Releasing one wrist, Bruce grabbed a piece of his cape and held it to Dick's mouth. The boy looked up at his father, silently refusing.

"Bite it!" He ordered. Dick reluctantly, yet quietly complied as he opened his mouth and bit the coarse fabric. He heard a whispered 'good boy' from his father and felt a hand brush the bangs from his forehead before he moved his hands down to grip Robin's forearms. His eyes moved to Alfred who finished putting on a pair of latex gloves. Alfred looked at the boy in the eyes with a sympathetic look before looking to Bruce. The man just nodded before tightening his grip on the small arms. Alfred's hands floated hesitantly above the boy's chest before he silently took hold of a clasp. As soon as he was three clasps down, the boy's chest arched upwards. A painful moan escaped his gagged mouth. Bruce quickly let go of the little arms and held the boy down by his shoulders. Dick's breathing became labored from the pain, his chest rising and falling rapidly causing him more pain as he flinched on the table. His arms slid along the cold metal surface, until they fell over the edge where they hung limply. His head moving from one side to the other at a rapid pace, his teeth sinking into the thick cape.

Alfred stumbled back before he quickly turned on the oxygen and grabbed his young master's jaw to hold his head still and force his mouth open. Once the cape was removed he placed the mask over the boy's nose and mouth. "Breathe." Bruce instructed gently trying to steady the boy's breathing. Dick tried to take a deep breath, but his chest hurt too much. His vision was getting dark around the edges as he continued to hyperventilate. "Breathe!" Bruce slapped the side of Dick's face when the boy's eyes started to close.

"Richard. take a deep breath!" He ordered through his hidden panic while looking into the boy's glossy eyes. Said boy struggled to breath as deep as he could, but he did it. Then he forced another deep breath. And another. "Good boy. That's my little bird." Bruce whispered while brushing his fingers through his son's hair. Once Dick's breathing was under control, Alfred replaced the oxygen with nitrous oxide (laughing gas). Before he knew it, he was asleep, his head lulled to the side while his arms still hung over the edge of the table. His chest rose and fell steadily in his deep slumber.

"Thank you Alfred!" Bruce brushed his fingers through ebony hair once again before taking off the mask. The older man nodded. "If I may repeat my question, Master Bruce. What happened?" Alfred demanded as he silently worked on unclasping the rest of Dick's tunic. Bruce told him what he saw and what the kids told him about their adventure at CADMUS.

By the end of Bruce's account, both men stared bewildered at Dick's exposed chest. Suddenly, Bruce clenched his jaw shut again and fisted his hands as a deep growl sounded in his throat. Alfred stared at the massive bruise in the shape of a footprint in the middle of his 'grandson's' chest, among other small cuts and bruises. It was a dark purple that faded to a brownish yellow around the edges. The entire bruise extended down the pale flesh from the middle of his chest to just above his Solar Plexus. Bruce remained where he stood, staring breathlessly before stomping towards the wall, leaning his head against it. He growled as his fist flew into the wall, forming a small crater. "Master Bruce! Control that temper of yours!" Alfred scolded the man. Bruce just silently walked back to the table before inspecting the bruise more closely.

A footprint. Someone intentionally hurt his son, but who. The foot was small, belonging to a child, maybe teenager. Bruce paced the room anxiously, stopping to glance at his slumbering child a few times. Not many people are capable of leaving a bruise of this degree, not many except maybe a...

"Krytonian!" Bruce growled. Images of the clone played in his mind.

"Oh dear! Master Bruce!" said man snapped out of his reverie and ran to his faithful butler's side, who further inspected the damage. "What is it Alfred?" Bruce demanded, placing his hands firmly on the table. Alfred hesitated for a second before silently placing his fingers delicately upon the boy's chest again. Several ribs sunk as he gently pushed down on them. An unconscious moan sounded in the boy's throat. "I would say he's broken about 4 or 5 ribs. It's a wonder they haven't pierced his lungs." Alfred let out a relieved breath at the last part. "I shall perform an x-ray just to make sure."

Bruce only half listened as his thoughts were elsewhere. Taking one last look at his son and replacing his cowl, a pissed off Daddybats stormed out of the room and towards the Zeta tubes.

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How you like?


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